Season Of The Jew

This story is about the power of missionaries to start a stone rolling which they cannot control. Missionaries in New Zealand tried to convert the warlike Maori natives (who killed and ate their enemies) to a passive style of Christianity. Unfortunately, one man who was exiled to a remote island spent time reading the "Old Testament" and found himself more like the Israelites. Taking over a ship and bringing 'his' people back to their homeland made him a 'Moses' like character. Having led his people over the sea to freedom, he was determined to create his own 'holy land'. He never called his people Jews nor did he use the six-sided 'star of david' as his symbol. He named his people the "Ringatu" or 'raised hand' which was their symbol. There are still 16,000 adherents in modern New Zealand and they are considered a 'christian sect' because they recognize Jesus. The title of the story is nothing if not hyperbole and a way for the author to sell his book. Zeb Kantrowitz

Disillusioned and weary of being a tool of Empire during New Zealand's Maori Wars, George Fairweather decides to settle down where fate has landed him on the East Cape. After years of war he finds his sympathies run as much with the natives as the settlers. Unfortunately for him, his skills are martial, and so he is soon pressed into service in a war that is part war of conquest, part civil war among the Maori, and far too subject to the whims of personal vanity among those on either side who declare themselves leaders in the conflict. I read this beautiful novel just prior to my first trip to New Zealand, and it gave me a way to look at the land as I traveled. I altered my itinerary to take in some of the scenes of this novel, and it was worth it. There is a hard edge to the thinly populated East Cape area that you see a lot more of when you are alert to some of the history. I recommend this book especially if you are considering a visit to Poverty Bay and the East Cape. To an American the dialogue can be so intriguingly stilted and formal -- it took me a while to get used to it, but once you dial into it, it is so rich and communicative -- words from Fairweather have a sardonic precision that often surprise you. In Season of the Jew everyone seems to be speaking in veiled terms, yet they are all so perceptive to the layered meanings and nuances of every sentence. I loved it. I gradually came to see it as a reflection of a time when people placed immense value on the spoken word and used it to convey complex meaning. In the story Fairweather tries often to express himself in paint, and yet is never successful. His true legacy is his terse but vivid dialogue. With that in mind I was very distressed to learn that the author Maurice Shadbolt eventually succumbed to Alzheimer's Disease. To have an author burn the conflicts of the those days into your memory, then lose his own memory... It's a tragedy on par with those he describes in the book. Read this book, you won't regret it. And visit New Zealand, you'll love that too!

The last thing I expected when I saw the title "Season of the Jew" was a book set in colonial New Zealand about Maori "rebels" under a leader called Kooti and colonial attempts to suppress this "menace" to the Queen's Peace. The story basically follows the character of George Fairweather as he gets caught up in Poverty Bay, (among other places), after having discharged from the 18th Infantry. A Maori "nobody", (Kooti), finds himself exiled to the Chatham Islands sometime after meeting Fairweather. After some time, the same guy manages to return to New Zealand with a band of fellow exiles and all full of the religious zeal of a "New Israel". Fairweather gets caught up in the events surrounding this, with his remarkably honest outlook on life and his position in it. The narrative itself is excellent, and maintains a frenetic pace that keeps you guessing at what will come next. In some places violent, the plot captures the essence of the day well, and Shadbolt's attention to detail is very much noted. Shadbolt's descriptions of the terrain and New Zealand of the time capture the land well, and almost drop you in the middle of it. The dialogues are very long in places, and you sometimes need to keep track of who is speaking. It takes a bit of time to get used to the English that is a little different from modern conventions and styles. However, once done, the dialogues themselves are rewarding reads in witticism and observations by the characters. Contrary to another reviewer, I did not find these a problem, nor did they get in the way of the overall plot. It is also in the dialogues that Shadbolt captures the prevailing attitudes of the colonists and settlers of the day regarding the Maori population. The arrogance and complete self-assurance that lead to some resounding beatings at the hands of the so-called "savages" who often displayed a far more Christian and civilised attitude than their "Christian betters". In short, "Season of the Jew" is a surprising book that is well written, colourfully filled with characters of substance, and keeps one going on for more to see what or who is lurking behind the next fern. For those with an interest in New Zealand, the book is based on true events around 1868, so it is well worth the read and effort to get. It will not be regretted.

I'm obsessed with Season of the Jew having read it 4 times in 6 years. George Fairweather, the Scottish soldier who "retired" from the British Army in New Zealand without enough money to return home,is one of the most honorably noble characters I've ever come across. I desperately wish I could give a 25 word "pitch" to a movie producer as this novel's values are much needed by today's society. What a grand movie it would make!!!The love story weaving throughout this book takes place between two level headed adults who are strong and self sufficient; no hang up's here. The choices for survival made by each at times are gut wrenching. I can say I felt intensely strong emotions; happiness, depression, anger, surprise. My heart welled in my throat several times. I was left with a grand respect for humanity, and most of all great admiration for the author, Maurice Shadbolt.The first few chapters are difficult to follow, but, by the third you are hooked. Shadbolt's sense of irony is constant throughout his book. I loved how the dialogues took 180 degree turns; I never guessed what was next to come. As mentioned by a previous reviewer, the Old Testatment provides reasons for imprisoned Maori's to fight for the right to pass peacefully through what used to be their land. Yet, when faced with this simple request, the British settlers set off a series of events leading to deception, disgrace, violence, death, and the beginnings of the most fascinating novel I've ever read. Hero's were made of simple men. Season of the Jew is joyously satisfying. Shadbolt is a master with words; George Fairweather someone you'll really want to know.

The novel is based on historical events in New Zealand, a Maori rebellion inspired by the Old Testament. The rebellion's leader casts himself as a latter day Moses bringing down righteous destruction on the English Caananites. The novel's protagonist, a retired English officer, turned landscape painter, finds himself a leader of the defense forces arrayed against the rebellion, despite feeling more empathy for the rebels than his European allies. A complex, literate novel with unforgettable characters, beautifully etched descriptions, and a suspenseful story-line. I'd rank it among the very best novels I've ever read. If you have any interest at all in New Zealand it's a must-read.